NTIA Releases Third Interim Progress Report on Ten-Year Plan to Free Up More Spectrum

NTIA recently released the Third Interim Progress Report[1] on the Obama Administration’s efforts to make available 500 megahertz of spectrum by 2020 for expanded wireless broadband use.

Tablet and smartphone use is growing at an astounding pace, revolutionizing the way Americans work and play by enabling anytime, anywhere accessibility to the Internet. This wireless broadband revolution enhances U.S. competitiveness, creates jobs[2] and drives innovation. It is triggering the creation of innovative new businesses, providing cost-effective connections in rural areas, increasing productivity, and improving public safety.

America’s future competitiveness and global technology leadership depend on access to radio spectrum – the lifeblood of these ubiquitous, data-hungry wireless devices. That is why President Obama’s June 2010 Memorandum[3] set a bold goal of nearly doubling the amount of spectrum available for commercial use by the end of this decade. NTIA is hard at work making that goal a reality.

The President’s memorandum also directed NTIA to take into account the need to ensure no loss of critical existing and planned Federal government capabilities and to explore innovative spectrum-sharing technologies[4].

The report issued last week outlines the steps NTIA, in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission[5] (FCC) and other federal agencies, has taken in the past year towards that goal. The key accomplishments during the past year include:

NTIA published a report[7] on the 1755-1850 MHz band, which recommended making 95 megahertz of prime spectrum available for commercial broadband use subject to addressing a number of associated challenges;

NTIA’s Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee[8] facilitated collaborative efforts between industry and government stakeholders to assess and recommend practical frameworks for the development of relocation, transition, and sharing arrangements and plans for 110 megahertz of federal spectrum in the 1695-1710 MHz[9] and the 1755-1850 MHz bands;

The FCC commenced rulemaking proceedings[10] to facilitate the transition of broadcasting and satellite spectrum bands to terrestrial mobile broadband services;

To facilitate the development of terrestrial mobile broadband applications, the United States Government successfully advocated for an agenda item for the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference[11] to consider allocation of additional spectrum to the mobile service on a primary basis for International Mobile Telecommunications and related regulatory provisions; and

NTIA and the federal spectrum users continued to reevaluate and reprioritize other spectrum bands[12] that offer the greatest opportunities for unleashing the innovative potential of wireless broadband and using the wireless spectrum more creatively and efficiently.